Last Light on the Pinelands

[Judd Patterson]

Canon 5D, 24-105mm @ 73mm
130 seconds, f/5.6, ISO 400
Everglades National Park

Some of the Dade pines (a variety of the Slash pine with extraordinarily hard wood) in the park have some great shapes. I have a mental list of cool trees that I like to photograph when conditions are right. If I light up a scene I also like to use my handy maglight. To my eyes they have much a more pleasant light temperature than LCD headlamps (unless you cover them with a filter).

[Michael Pancier]

you got a nice color on the trees. My little mag light tended to give the trees a orange/red look. what time did you shoot it?

[Rob Mckenzie]

Such a beautiful shot.
How on earth did you light that entire tree with one Maglight. How big is it? be careful you could land an airplane with that thing!!

[Robert Amoruso]

Nice composition on the trees with the prominent one in the FG left and the two smaller ones balancing it to the left and right. Star trails a nice touch.

Any rule of thumbs on calculating the long exposure and use of the maglight like how long you need to paint the tree.

[denise ippolito]

Judd, I love the shot and would be curious as to how exactly you did it.

[Judy Lynn Malloch]

Judd this is stunning. Love the vibrant graduated colors and the and the excellent composition. The lighting on the top of the pine in the FG puts it over the top for me. !!! Well seen and well done.

[Fabs Forns]

Colors are to die for! We need to get together one night, now that Roman got us baited into night photog :)

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Judd,
I do like the colors on this one.....although at night they tend to be whiter/bluer with the moon......still very effective. I have 3 different lights in my backpack.....but a simple trick to change any night shot into a warmer one is to change the WB to cloudy. Instant warm. Too bad I didn't get to go out with you and that tree inventory. Looks like you will have plenty of company out there now!

Nice balance all around but the tree seperation is what makes this for me. Not the easiest thing in the glades!

[Maxis Gamez]

This is WILD Judd!! Gorgeous colors and composition.

[Bruce Murden]

Lovely light & comp! I particularly like the two sister trees, one MG left, one in front of BG right (and it looks like you lit that one a little with the maglight).

Please, as suggested, give a few pointers on painting fill light with you Maglight

[Kaushik Balakumar]

Lovely colours. Nice light painting on the tree - just apt IMO. The star 'rain' really adds to the image.

[Judd Patterson]

I'm glad that people enjoyed this image. As far as my lighting techniques...I do much prefer the light from a incandescent bulb (or gel colored flash) to a LED. I find that in trying to warm up LED light you end up ruining any real blues/purples that you might have had in the sky. I particularly love maglights (I have several sizes) because they have the adjustable beam so I can do spot lighting or take a wider approach. My technique is to open the shutter via bulb, turn my flashlight on, and then paint. I try to always keep the flashlight moving to ensure that I don't dwell anywhere too long. I keep an approximate count (in seconds) of how long I have the flashlight on the scene. Each situation is different (subject distance, camera settings, etc.) so between the image on the LCD and my count of seconds painted with a flash I can make adjustments until I get what I want. In general you are likely to be using the flashlight for 5-30 seconds. Thanks again, and I hope that is useful!

[susanschermer]

Thanks for the exposure and lighting tips, Judd. This image is superb with star trails and warm after-glow both in the sky. The lighting of the tree is just the right amount. Count me in if you take Fabs to the Everglades at night. I'd love to join you.